Chapter 157: |
Chapter 157
When things turned out like this, the faces of the nobles who had been opposing it turned pale.
At this rate, the title of Duke was really bestowed upon Raymond, even though he had to meet certain conditions.
In particular, the one who had the most difficulty was Raymond himself.
‘No, you guys? Why are you doing that now? I’ve never thought of that at all!’
And then, out of nowhere, he ended up becoming a lord.
Raymond tried to open his mouth before it was too late.
but…….
‘If I become a lord, I will be able to obtain enormous wealth. Of course, I will be able to suppress the noses of the nobles who have been ignoring me.’
It was too grand a position to simply refuse.
But he soon shook his head.
Yes, he wasn’t just looking for success.
He wanted to be the best as a healer.
Because he knows the reward of treating patients.
Even if he succeeded, he wanted to succeed by treating patients.
A position like that of a lord was not suitable for him.
‘Ugh, but it’s too good to give up! Not only can I have wealth and honor, but I can also have power and fame all at once!’
At that moment, Oden opened his mouth.
“To be clear, I did not offer the title of Prince to the Count Penin unconditionally.”
Yes, that’s right.
There was a condition.
To restore the damage caused by the war within half a year, stabilize the Rafald region, and appease the people’s hearts.
“If you are unable to do so, I will judge you unworthy and will revoke the grant of the Ruin Estate. Instead, I will grant you another, more appropriate reward.”
“…!”
“However…”
Oden continued speaking softly.
“If Count Penin can do all this…”
He declared with cold eyes.
“…I will confirm that the Ruin estate has been given to the Count Penin, and at the same time, I will promote him to the rank of Marquis, appointing him as one of the ‘Five Lords’ of the Kingdom of Houston.”
It was a declaration that shook the kingdom of Houston like a storm.
So Raymond unexpectedly found himself at a crossroads making a crucial choice.
* * *
The rewards ceremony is over.
Afterwards, Galman, who was alone with Oden, asked.
“Are you making such a condition to give Count Penin a legitimacy?”
Even though he was a war hero, it was excessive to make Raymond the lord of an entire province.
So, to give him legitimacy, he was given this additional mission.
If Raymond could further contribute to stabilizing the Rafald region, the people would no longer be able to oppose him becoming a prince.
But Galman said heavily.
“However, even for Count Penin, it will not be easy to achieve the conditions His Majesty has mentioned.”
“…….”
“There will be a lot of interference.”
Of course, Galman also knows Raymond’s abilities.
With the abilities he possesses, it wouldn’t be difficult to stabilize the Rafald region.
But there was something that stood in his way.
‘There’s no way the nobles will obey Raymond so easily. They’ll definitely rebel and throw a tantrum.’
Even among the newly appointed lords of the Rafald region, many were nobles who supported Kairn and Lemarton.
The nobles who supported Raymond or had connections with the Duke Rair, who was friendly to him, mostly received rewards of other kinds than fiefs, and none of the lords of the major fiefs were there.
So, rather than submitting to Raymond, the new lords will try to interfere with him in some way.
‘Even for Raymond, it’s not easy to overcome such obstacles and achieve the conditions.’
Then Oden said,
“I know it’ll be difficult. But it’s meaningless if it’s easy.”
“…!”
“It is a matter of making an illegitimate child a special envoy. If he cannot overcome this difficulty, it will be more difficult.” Oden said coldly.
“If he can’t even do this, it would be better for Count Penin to spend the rest of his life as a healer.”
Only then did Galman understand Oden’s intentions.
‘… I’m not just trying to give them a reason. I’m trying to test Raymond’s character. I’ve created this situation on purpose.’
Galman recalled the names of those who had been appointed lords of the Rafald region this time.
They were all hostile to Raymond.
In particular, there were an overwhelming number of nobles who followed the 2nd Prince Kairn and the 3rd Prince Lemarton.
‘To achieve the condition, it is essential to unite the hostile nobles. His Majesty is testing Raymond’s mettle. Is he truly worthy of becoming a lord?’
Galman swallowed his saliva.
At that moment, a guess suddenly occurred to him.
‘Could it be that His Majesty is beginning to consider Raymond as a candidate for the throne?’
But soon, he shook his head.
It was an exaggerated guess.
Making Raymond a candidate for the throne would cause enormous backlash as it is realistically impossible.
It was unlikely that Oden would have even thought of such a thing.
But..
‘What if Raymond goes to the Rafald region and shows off his awesomeness again?’
Galman swallowed hard.
If Raymond could once again demonstrate tremendous ability and achievements, as he had during this war, rather than simply repairing the damage…
At that time, no one could say for sure what would happen.
‘Of course it won’t be easy.’
It would not be easy to become a lord, let alone achieve great feats.
It wasn’t just about recovering from the damage.
There will be all sorts of attempts to get in his way.
He must overcome all the interference and subdue the opposing nobles.
Only then could he ascend to the position of great lord.
‘It won’t be easy. But it might be better for Raymond if he fails.’
Galman suddenly had that thought.
In fact, Raymond was in a very dangerous situation right now.
Because he constantly stands out and is the target of the two princes’ vigilance.
There was a high probability that it would happen at any time.
But what if this fails?
The disappointed people will no longer consider Raymond a candidate for the throne, and by removing him from the struggle for the throne, he will be in a safer position.
It becomes possible to live the life of a healer in peace.
‘Could it be that Your Majesty has thought of this as well?’
Galman had such a question.
These days, King Oden has been showing complicated feelings about Raymond.
But Galman soon shook his head. It didn’t seem like that was what Oden would do.
At that moment, King Oden stood up from his seat.
“I have somewhere to go, so prepare for an undercover mission.”
“Where all of a sudden?”
“To Count Penin.”
“…!”
Oden said nonchalantly. “Before we get started in earnest, I need to hear his thoughts.”
* * *
At that time, Raymond was alone and lost in thought on the roof of the Penin Treatment Center mansion.
It was just not an easy decision to make.
‘What should I do? This is crazy!’
He was tearing at his hair.
‘I can accept being a special envoy to help repair the damage in the Rafald region. I also have a promise with King Macapell III of Droughton about this.’
He made a promise to Macapell III.
To establish a Penin Treatment Center in the Rafald region to care for the people of the Rafald region.
Also, with the post-war recovery and stabilization of public sentiment.
As a healer, that was what he did best.
‘I also got promoted to a job that was just right for me.’
He recalled the message that had just occurred to him.
[You have reached level 161! You have met the promotion criteria!]
[The war has ended. If you wish to contribute to post-war recovery, you can change to a special class after becoming a military doctor.]
‘Special class?’
[A special class for post-war recovery, available for promotion to ‘Peacekeeping Force’!]
[Peacekeeping Force]
Description: The war is coming to an end, and your role as a medic is over! But the end of the war is a new beginning. As a healer, it is time to work on post-war recovery and peace! You can exert great power in post-war recovery!
[All item abilities increase in post-war recovery situations.]
[Ability to exert strong ‘leadership’ over the people for post-war recovery.]
[Charisma increases in post-war recovery situations.]
[Skill, Acquire Disaster Command. (Proficiency D)]
[Acquiring Disaster Medicine (Proficiency B)]
Increase your leadership and charisma!
Disaster command and disaster medicine were also acquired, and proficiency in commanding medical personnel and commanding general soldiers also increased.
He has been promoted to a class that is just what he needs for his current situation.
‘As a healer, I can certainly help with post-war recovery. But as a lord?!’
He shook his head.
‘I can’t handle it. What’s wrong with my subject?’
He was a healer.
He’s also a vulgar healer who likes to make money.
His bowl was just that big.
What kind of lord or great lord is he going to be?
But at that moment.
‘’Can’t I really? Why? Because I’m a lowly illegitimate child?’
He thought.
‘Have I ever really had a dream like that?’
To be honest, there was.
Every time he was looked down on as an illegitimate child, he dreamed of becoming more noble and standing above others.
‘If I become a lord, I will achieve that dream in one go.’
Raymond decided to be honest.
‘I was curious.’
It would be a lie to say that such an enormous position is not coveted.
All who have ignored him will bow their heads to him.
‘Of course, I will enjoy great wealth and honor that cannot be compared to the magic stone mine.’
But he eventually shook his head again.
‘…No. But that’s not it. I like treating patients. I want to live the life of a healer.’
He remembered what he had said to Marquis Aris today.
‘I also have a desire to succeed.’
Yeah, he wanted to be successful more than anyone else.
But…
‘I want to be successful and make other people happy.’
Yes, what he wanted was not just success.
He wanted to be successful for others, especially his patients.
Because he now understands the reward of treating patients.
Because he now realizes that joy.
Being a special envoy wasn’t his path.
He was a healer.
‘Ugh. But it’s too bad to give up like this. I’m a lord! I can completely strike down those who ignored me! What should I do? Why is this suddenly happening to me?’
Raymond was scratching his head.
He knows it’s not his path.
But it was too bad to give up!
At that moment, suddenly the surroundings became noisy.
“Older brother!”
A very drunk Lao came up to the rooftop.
By the way, below, everyone except Raymond was having a drinking party.
“Thank you! Thanks to you, I was able to pay off my family’s debt and become successful!”
“…Oh, congratulations.”
“I will be loyal to you brother for the rest of my life!”
‘To be honest, I still sometimes have doubts that my brother is a materialistic person, but those are all thoughts given to me by the devil! From now on, I will never have such evil suspicions again, even if it means pricking my thigh with a needle!’
Lao made a firm resolution and spoke in a twisted tone.
“By the way, what are you going to do?”
“… … .”
“Will you become a lord?”
Raymond couldn’t answer.
“…Honestly, I don’t know.”
Lao said with a smile. “Brother, you too might have the same worries as the three saints.”
“Hmm?”
“Whose way would you like to follow, Brother, among Saint Medilac, Saint Platon, and Saint Pamison?”
Lao mentioned three famous saints in history.
They are not saints of the kingdom of Houston.
Saints from different countries, across vast continents.
Although they were saints from different places, the three had something in common.
They were successful as a healer and were offered the position of monarch.
‘In fact, it’s not uncommon for top-tier healers to receive fiefdoms.’
Top healers are credited with curing many patients with their powerful healing abilities.
Therefore, there were many cases of winning the king’s favor and receiving titles and fiefs.
Among them, the three people that Lao mentioned are those who have achieved particularly outstanding achievements and have now been offered the positions of great lords and princes, just like Raymond.